Coyotes can’t find the net late, fall to Los Angeles Kings in shootout

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Gabriel Vilardi scored in the fourth round of a shootout, Jonathan Quick stopped 20 shots and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Arizona Coyotes 3-2 on Thursday night.

The Kings jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter.

The Coyotes rallied with two in the second — Phil Kessel’s first goal in 12 games and Conor Garland’s seventh of the season.

Quick made a sprawling save to stop Kessel early in overtime and had a couple more tough stops to send the game to a shootout.

Arizona’s Clayton Keller sent a shot over the goal in the fourth round of the shootout and Vilardi beat Darcy Kuemper to end it.

Kuemper had 27 saves.

The Coyotes were glad to see someone else across the ice after playing St. Louis in the first seven-game, regular-season series in NHL or NBA history.

Arizona took that series 4-3, closing out Monday’s seventh game with a 1-0 victory behind Kuemper, who got his first shutout of the season.

The Kings didn’t take long to end Kuemper’s scoreless streak, scoring 4 1/2 minutes in when Brown slipped a shot under Kuemper’s left pad. Anze Kopitar started the play by fishing the puck out of a scrum along the side boards.

Carter made it 2-0 midway through the first period, poking the puck under Kuemper on a play ruled goalie interference but overturned on review.

The Coyotes stormed back to start the second period.

Garland scored a minute in when his shot from the slot his Kings forward Alex Iafallo’s stick and caromed past Quick. Kessel tied it four minutes later with his fifth of the season, and first since Jan. 20, by flipping a rebound past Quick through traffic.

Kuemper and Quick were sharp in the third period, each making some difficult saves to force overtime.